Automatic violin-player.



' PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907. J. WAUTERS. AUTOMATIC VIOLIN PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-19, 1906.

v Jul/61116712:

more particularly to the bow manner closely analogous bow and means for presenting such vibrator UNITED sTA rns PATENT .orrion.

JOSEPH WAUTERS', OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

AUTOMATIC VIOLIN-PLAYER.

Patented March 12, 1907.

Application filed March 19,1906. Serial No. 306,717. I

ment in "Automatic Violin-Players, of which the following is a specifioation' I The invention relates to mechanism'ror automatically producing musical composi-v tions on instruments of the violin class, and or means for inducing the required vibrations of the strings. v

The object of the invention is to provide a vibrator which will act on the string. in a to that of the usual to the str ng with the required delicate yielding touch.

The invention consists in certain novel teatures, arrangements of parts, and details of constructionv by which the above objects are attained to be hereinafter described," and pointed out in theclaims,

he accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show an approved form .of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front view of'a'portion of a violin and its support equipped with the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through. the support, showing a portion of the violin and vibrating means in elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section'through the support and violin, showing the vibrators and operating means in plan-view. Fig.4 is a plan view of one of the vibrators and its carrier alone, on a larger scale, certain portionsbeing broken away to show the interior mechanism. Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in horizontal -section on a still larger scale, showing the vibrator and means for-mounting it in its carrier. 6 is a corresponding section on the line 6 6 in Fig. 5, certain-portions being shown in elevation. Fig. 7 is an elevation corresponding to Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is'a plan view showing an adjustable support for the'vibrator-car-" ner.

Similar letters of 'reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.-

' he invention. is based on the discovery that glass possesses in a marked degree the stance in the form or a rotating w qualities re .uired in a vibrator, and this dis-- cover has een applied in the resent inof Belgium, residing in 2D! D! M, of glass, preferably what is known as suitable motor,

force of sli ht helical 'eelor disk arranged 'to contact at the periphery with i the violin-string.

A is a board, preferably arranged vertically 1n a supporting frame or case, and B is a violin held thereon by any suitablemeans. The violin may be in all res'pectsas usual,

having strings C stretched over a bridge B.

ough openings 0, a in thefsoundingboard extend fromthe rear four carriers or levers D D, one for each string, each consisting of 'two metallic bars separated bystuds and carrying at the outer end a disk crystal or good quality flint glass, mounted to rotate thereinwith its periphery The carriers or of the soundingtwo on each side and constituting a vibrator.- arms are pivoted at d in rear board. to swing horizontally, of 'the .violin, the pairs thus formed each mounted on one pivot and curved to present their disks in hor zontal positions to the several strings C.

At the inner end ripheral treadof rubber, and on the shaft ofthe'wheel L is a pulley L, corres onding to a similar pulley M on the shaft 0 the disk M.v

A belt N traverses the pulleys and is caused 5 to follow the bent form of the arm by idle rollers N, pivotally mounted in the arm.

Closelyadjacent to each friction-wheel L, and in the same plane therewith is a rubberfaced driving-wheel K, which may be understood. to be continuously revolved by any (not repres'ented,)- and J is bellows or pneumatic, controlled, as usuaf: by a perforated music-roll (not shown) or by other means through a tube J and connected to the arm D at J ,.so that the movement of the pneumatic will swing the arm and cause the friction-wheel L to contact with the .driver K,.and thusthrou-gh the belt N rotate the disk'M. This movement of the arm also causes the disk The shaft of the disk M, with its pulley M, has its bearings in blocks M M arranged to move in ways D in: the bars forming the le ver, guided by pins M and subject to the force the 'sk in the direction of against whichit acts and arrested by the contact ofthe blocks M with theends of the ways. The friction-wheel 1L .issimilarly the string mounted/in blocksL having; pins L and no 7O projecting beyond the arm next the string of each arm is a frictionwheel L, which may be of metal with a pee to approach its, string C springs M tending to mq springs L forcing the friction-wheel toward the driver K. Antifriction-balls, asat M,

are introduced between the blocks and ways to reduce the friction. Thus arranged the friction-wheel is yieldingly presented to the driver and the disk makes a soft yielding contact with the string.

The outer portions of the arms differ in length, two being longer to reach the inner strings, and the others shorter for contact with the outer strings, one long and one short arm being placed in approximately the same plane above and one short and one long arm below to permit contact with the strings without interference, while allowing the four vibrators to be located compactly immediately adjacent to the violin-bridge. To insure that thedisk shall be in rotation at the time of contact with thestring, the arms are so pfiroportioned relatively to the pivot d, driver and string C that the action of the pneumatic will cause the friction-wheel first to contact with the driver and establish the rotatory movement and an instant later swing the disk against the string, as'indicated in Fig. 4 To facilitate this adjustment, the

' pivots d of the arms are mounted in plates E on transverse'braces A in thecasing and secured thereto by screws F extending through slots e in the plates, whereby the latter may be moved as found necessary and securely clamped in position. Y The periphery of the disk-is slightly rounded, as shown, and .is preferablynot polished, but .has a mat surface approximating that of smoothly-ground Thus conditioned the periphery will. readily receive resin and hold it for long pe-' riods. I prefer to use fine-quality flint or'crys glass.

tal glass for the-disks. My experiments indicate that the sonorous or vibrant characteristics of such glass render it'best adapted for the purpose and will produce musical tones and effects with a violin-string rivaling or surpassing those produced by the hairbow. The apparatus requires no alteration in the violin, and by disconnecting the pneumatics fromthe arm the latter may be swung outwardly inthe openings a sufiiciently to ermit the removal of the violin. The yiel ing quality of the disk-mountings serves an important function in absorbing the minute vibrations due to the driving mechanism and prevents their transmission to the string.

Althou h I have described the invention as applie to a violin, it will be understood thatit will serve ,withany instrument of the viplin classor in which a stringisvibrated by a ow. v

Modifications may be made in .the sizes and proportions of the disks and other portions of the apparatus and in :the means :for mounting, rotating, and presenting the .disk to the string with the required-delicacy.

The motor for operating the driving wheels, the mechanism from a music-roll to the pneumaticsfand other portions of the apparatus, not illustrated may be of any approved construction, and the fingering may be produced and controlled by any suitable means.

I claim 1. .A violin-player having a vibrator for a string thereof, saidvibrator consisting of a disk of glass, means for rotating said disk and means for bringing the moving periph cry of said disk into contact with such string.

2. A' violin-player having a vibrator for a string thereof, said vibrator consisting of a rotatable disk of flint glass, and means loibringing the moving periphery of said disk into temporary contact with such string.

'3. A violin-player having a vibrator for a string thereof, said'vibrator consisting of a rotatable disk of flint glass having a smoothly-ground or mat operating-surface, and means for bringing the moving periphery of said disk into temporary contact with such string.

' 4. A violin-player having a vibrator for a string .thereof, said vibrator consisting of a disk ofglass having its periphery ground to produce a mat surface, means for rotating said'disk, a vibratory lever carryingsaid disk, and means connected with said lever for causing temporary contact ofthe moving periphery of said disk with such string 5. A violin, a board, a vibratory ever, a revoluble disk carried by said lever upon one side of said board to act against a string of the violin, and means mounted to act upon said lever upon the opposite side of said board.

'6. A violin, a board, a vibratory lever, a revoltible disk carried by said lever uponone side of said board to act againsta string of the violin, means mounted to act upon said leverupon the. opposite sideof said board,

and means on said lever for imparting rotary motion to said disk.

7. A lever fulcrumed between its ends, a disk carried at one end of said lever, a friction-wheel at the other end of said lever, means supplemental to and mounted on said lever for ,tranmitting motion from said friction-wheel to said disk to rotate the latter, a friction driving-wheel, and means for moving said lever to cause frictional contactof said friction-wheel with said driving-wheel.

8,. A lever fulcrumed between its ends, a disk rotatably mounted therein, a frictionwheel rotatably mounted in said lever, means supplemental to and mounted on said lever for transmittin' motion from said friction-wheel to said isk, afriction drivingwheel, means for moving said lever to cause contact of said fr1ction-wheel with said driving-Wheel, and for moving said disk into contact with a relatively fixed violin-stringI 9. A lever, a disk rotatably mounted therein, a friction-wheel rotatably mounted in yielding bearings in said lever, means for transmitting motion from said friction- .wheel to said disk, a friction driving-wheel, 'means for moving said lever to cause contact 5 of said friction-wheel with said drivingwheel, and for continuing the movement of said lever to cause later contact of said disk With a violin-string.

10. A pivotallymounted lever, a disk ro zo tatably mounted in one end thereof, a pulleyfor said disk, a friction-Wheel 'rotatabl 'mounted in the other end offsaid lever, a p.u I ley for said friction-Wheel, -a belt running on said pulleys, a friction driving-wheel, .a' ne'u-' r 5 matic and connectlon's therefrom to sa1 arm,

in rear of said board an yielding mounting for said disk, to rovide yieldin contact between the disk an string.

12. mounted thereon, evers givotally' mounted extendin therethrough, revolving disks carried in t e outer n a violinlayer, a board, a violin ends of said levers, friction-wheels the in:

ner ends of said levers, means for transmitdis cent to said friction-Wheels, andpneumat cs connected to said levers to swing the latter to cause contact of said friction-Wheels with said driving-wheels and contact of with the strings of a violin. t

-In testimony that I claim the invention said disks ting motion from said friction-Wheels to said s, friction driving-Wheels located adja above set forth I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH WAUTERS. Witnesses? CHAS. A. HAUCK, CHARLES R. SEARLE, 

